The analysis of the deposition rate for continuous micro-anode guided electroplating process

The continuous micro-anode guided electroplating (MAGE) has been improved by using real time control of anode's elevation rate based on CCD images in the previous research. However, the effects of choosing different process parameters, such as the applied voltage and the gap distance between the anode and column, had not been fully discussed in the previous work. In order to manage the electroplating process and obtain the desired column, the relations between the column's geometry and the process parameters are investigated in this paper. The experiment results show that the deposition rate is related to the gap distances as well as the applied voltages. By implementing the system identification and curve fitting techniques, the transfer functions between the applied voltage and the column deposition rates are established for different gap distances. Based on these functions and the on-line CCD images, the anode position and the applied voltage will be adjusted real time to maintain constant gap distance and obtain the desired column geometries.